


Latula's Totally Unrad Week

by theweirdrachel



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Humanstuck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-23
Updated: 2015-09-23
Packaged: 2018-04-23 00:16:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4856006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theweirdrachel/pseuds/theweirdrachel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For whatever reason Latula, gamer girl extrordinaire, has been having the worst week. Power outages, tripping over things, and her coworker is challenging her mad game skillz. Ugh and its only Thursday.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Latula's Totally Unrad Week

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, I've been working on this thing since like January wow. Finally getting it up. I'd really really like to expand on this world, bringing in as many characters as I can. More to come?

It had been a long and supremely unrad week for Latula Pyrope.

It had started Monday morning when an ill timed power outage on her floor had reset her alarm clock and made her late for work. Not that working the shift at the local game shop was a fate of the world kind of job. But fucking Strider gave her that cocky smirk of his when she rushed in.  
"Burning the midnight oil trying to beat my high score?" His question was followed by a yelp as she whacked him upside the head on her way to the closet parading as a break room.  
"Shut it Link. The electricity got knocked out on my floor and jacked up my alarm. And your high score won't last a week. I've got Thursday and Friday off and have a date with my console and a party size bag of cheese puffs. By Saturday your record will be as out of date as your precious shades." Dave gasped and put a hand to his chest in outrage.  
"Not the shades!" Latula snorted at his cry of despair and started going about her business. The rest of the day went well enough, aside from the typical woes of being a radical gamer girl.

Tuesday evening found her standing outside the door of the shop, hoping the rain would let up enough that she could run home without getting completely soaked.  
After roughly ten minutes of waiting, she sighed and resigned herself to a long and wet walk home.  
The walk was uneventful. Just as she was approaching the final corner before her building, however, a dark blur flew past her, coming from behind. The car sent a small wall of filthy icy water her way; it made a shriek rise up out of her. Thankfully the rain mostly covered the sound of her yelling, though the water dripping into her face meant all she really saw of the dark colored car was that, when it past the streetlight, it was in fact a deep purple, and there was a bee plush sitting into the rear window.

As she was leaving her apartment for work Wednesday she tripped over a skateboard in the hallway. It was primarily yellow, with some black stripes. As she pushed herself to her feet she cursed the owner and wondered just what she'd done to bring a week like this upon herself.

When she woke up Thursday, the sun was already shining brightly through the curtains. She took her time getting her day started, ate a bowl of cereal standing in the kitchen, before grabbing a quick shower. She'd likely indulge in a nice long soak tomorrow, but that would have to wait until she'd broken Strider's record. The pair were constantly competing to one up the other. The video game of choice changed, but typically the goal was to beat the game as quickly as possible. This week's challenge was Ocarina of Time. They'd already gone back and forth with this one a couple times, but that made the challenge of shaving off time all the more challenging. They didn't use glitches, finding that for them the satisfaction came from beating the game as a whole faster than the other. Not to say she didn't have massive respect for the players that managed to break actual records.  
She'd gotten to the point where she skipped most of the smaller quests, going mostly just for the ones that completed the inventory. They each had to present proof of completion in the form of their cartridge and a timer showing their play time.  
She put the cartridge in her old N64 and turned it on, then went to grab some chocolate milk while the system booted up. The familiar opening screen was playing when she returned. A gulp of chocolatey goodness and she picked up the controller and hit start. Once she got through the opening animation she started the stopwatch she was keeping on a lanyard around her neck. Game on.

At eight hours in she hit pause on both the game and the timer, and stretched. She'd been getting up for snacks and more milk, but a lengthy bathroom break was in order. She'd just gotten to the adult portion of the game and her bladder had been begging for relief since Jabu-Jabu. Without the sounds of her pwning Hyrule, she now noticed the noises coming from next door.  
Latula was used to various odd sounds coming from her neighbor at this point; strangely loud computer beeping, techno music that was just a hair under too loud, and once what had sounded like a chainsaw at two in the morning.  
Tonight, however, she could hear swearing and the dull clacking of metal on metal. She would be more concerned, but she'd never actually met her neighbor. The thought of finding out what was going on over there did cross her mind. But she still really had to use the bathroom.

Post pee break she resumed her post in front of the TV. She'd finished the first portion of the game in decent time, but the second part was longer and more challenging. Not a problem for someone as rad as her, though.  
She had just wrapped up the last boss battle of the last temple before going for Ganondorf, when she was rudely ripped from her game by a loud noise. It took her a few seconds to place the noise as a fire alarm. She grabbed her phone from beside her and raced for the front door, pausing for a moment to shove on her shoes and grab a sweatshirt. There was mild chaos in the hall as people rushed towards the exit.  
All the residents congregated on the sidewalk across the street from the apartments while the superintendent tried to calm them down. The faint sound of sirens could be heard in the night air.  
Latula took a quick look around at her neighbors, then fired off a couple quick texts. One to her kid sister, one to her well meaning but interfering friend from high school, and one to Dave to complain about the continuation of her shitty week.  
The sounds of one of her neighbors on their own phone attracted her attention. A guy that looked around her age was standing curled in on himself while he babbled to whoever was on the other end. The guy's head was covered in a mess of sandy hair, and he had a lanky build, exposed by the fact that all he wore was yellow bee printed boxers and an unlaced pair of yellow converse. Curious, Latula walked over and tapped him on the shoulder. The boy squealed and nearly dropped his phone.  
"Woah there spaceman, I come in peace." The boy's face flushed. Now that she got a good look at him, he was pretty cute. Latula felt her cheeks warm to match his.  
"M-meulin, one of m-my neigh-eighborth ith here. W-will you talk t-to her?" Latula could hear a bubbly voice on the other end, then her neighbor held out the phone with a sad lost puppy look on his face. She took the phone with little argument.  
"Yo?" The guy, without the phone to concentrate on, started shivering. Latula quickly pulled off her sweatshirt and tossed it to him.  
"You live in the apartment building with Mituna, right?"  
"If Mituna is the skinny dude in the bee boxers, then yeah." Mituna pulled the sweatshirt on, looking embarrassed.  
"Latula? Oh hey! Small world! Would you be able to keep an eye on Mituna until Kurloz can get there? You never met him, did you? Kurloz and I started dating not long after you got that job at that game place!"  
"How far out is he?"  
"Oh he's at my place. Maybe just hang out with Mituna until they let you all back into the building?" Latula watched Mituna shuffle from one foot to the other, peering out at her from under his mess of hair. "Please Latula! Purrlease?"  
"No problem Kit-kat, I'll keep an eye on him until things get settled." Meulin squealed a thank you, then asked to talk to Mituna again. Mituna didn't say much after that, 'yeth' and no a couple times, then he said goodbye and hung up.  
"Meulin thaid to m-make thure I thaid thank you for keeping me cont-company until Kurloth could get here." He looked so uncomfortable that it made Latula feel bad. She made a flapping motion with her hand, accompanied by a 'psh' noise.  
"Don't worry about it 'Tuna. It'll be nice to have someone to hang with while the building is cleared. My name's Latula." Mituna grinned at her, revealing a mouthful of braces.  
"Nithe to meet you Lat-tula."  
A bit later the fire department showed up and began trying to figure out what had happened. Latula had sat down on the curb and with a little persuading Mituna joined her. At least the weather was better than the last couple days. While chilly, the night was at least dry. She tried to keep Mituna distracted, which seemed to work pretty well.

The fire department was just finishing up when a dark purple car pulled up. Mituna jumped to his feet and flailed his way over to the driver's side. A tall dark haired person got out. Latula gave the car a once over, then her attention was caught by a plush in the back window.  
"Kurloth! I wath trying to get the bugth fixthed, but then the fucking thing wath on fire!" The tall dude, Kurloz apparently, ruffled Mituna's hair, but said nothing. Latula's eyes narrowed.  
"Wait a minute dude. Are you saying that you're the reason I'm standing outside in the middle of the night when I could be playing," Latula paused, all the wind going out of her sails. "Playing..."  
She looked down at her chest, horror creeping over her as she stared down at her stopwatch. It was still running.  
"I forgot to pause it," she whispered. Kurloz tipped his head to one side, but was otherwise silent.  
"What'd did you thay Lat-tula?" She looked up at him, scowling.  
"I was this close," she held her fingers an inch apart to demonstrate, "to beating Strider's fucking record. Now I won't have time before I see him again. Oh this is just perfect. And is that a bee in the back window?" Mituna looked to Kurloz, who nodded. "You're the asshole that drenched me Tuesday night!" By this point Latula was yelling. "I bet it was your skateboard I tripped over too!" Mituna gripped his hair with both hands.  
"I'm thorry! I'm thorry!" Latula opened her mouth to respond, but the look of panic on Mituna's face deflated her. She looked over to where the superintendent was waving the residents back inside.  
"Whatever," she said flatly, turning to go inside.

When she got inside her game was still running, Link standing outside Hyrule castle, sword drawn. With a sigh, she turned off the console. She made her way to her bed and threw herself onto it, not bothering to remove her shoes. There was no way she could start over again and finish in time for her shift Saturday.

When Dave came in for his afternoon shift Saturday, he found Latula slumped over then counter.  
"Woah there oh rad one, you look like shit." Latula shot him a glare.  
"Can it cool kid. You got my text about the fire?" Dave nodded, grinning.  
"Made my morning." He pulled out his phone. "H3y cool k1d! M4ss 3v4c of my bu1ld1ng! Tot3s not s1ck f1r3s up 1n h3r3 >:[" Dave snickered and put his phone away again. "You never answered me yesterday though, what's up?" Latula groaned.  
"I can't find my phone. I passed out once they let us back inside and couldn't find it when I woke up."  
"Bummer." Dave went to go clock in. As soon as he was out of sight, Latula started considering asking him if she could beg off work early. It was only one, but with the way her week had been going, she was sure Dave wouldn't mind covering for her.  
"Hey Dave," she called, turning to ask him. She was interrupted by a crash from outside the shop. Dave tripped his way out of the tiny back room and she spun around. Someone had collided with one of the posts outside. A skateboard rolled and bumped into the floor to ceiling window that made up the front of the shop. Latula swore under her breath as a familiar mess of fluffy sandy hair, currently partially obscured by a yellow helmet, rose up off the sidewalk.  
"Who even runs into those things," Dave asked from behind her. Latula groaned as a second person came into view.  
"The same guy that blew my sweet victory over your dumb ass." Kurloz helped Mituna to his feet, then looked through the window at them. He made a motion to his friend, then came inside. He waved, then pulled out a notebook and pen. Once he'd written something down he held it out to Latula.  
'HELLO. I AM KURLOZ. MITUNA WOULD LIKE TO APOLOGIZE FOR HIS CURRENT ACTIONS. AND RETURN YOUR SWEATSHIRT.' Latula read his words, Dave trying to peek over her shoulder.  
"You don't talk," she asked, looking up at Kurloz. He nodded, then tapped his throat with two fingers.  
"Well this is weird." They looked at Dave. "I'm gonna give you and your mime some privacy." He wandered a couple feet away and started going over their inventory.  
"Why isn't Tuna in here apologizing for himself?" Kurloz held out his hand for the notebook. While she waited for his response, Latula studied Mituna through the window. He had removed his helmet and seemed to be trying to rid himself of helmet hair. Kurloz held out the notebook again.  
'BOTH MITUNA AND I OFTEN HAVE TROUBLE FINDING THE RIGHT WORDS TO SAY.' Latula laughed quietly at that. 'I OFFERED TO SPEAK TO YOU FIRST. MITUNA MEANS WELL. AND I AM SORRY FOR SPLASHING YOU THE OTHER NIGHT.' Latula looked up at him, smiling sheepishly.  
"Sorry about all the yelling. I'd had a rough week." Kurloz nodded understandingly, then gestured at Mituna hopefully. "Yeah, I'll talk to him. Plus, I like that sweatshirt." She grinned at Kurloz, then looked over to where Dave was pretending not to eavesdrop. "'S it cool if I take my break now dude?" Dave shrugged.  
"I should be able to handle this on my own." He looked around the empty shop. Kurloz smiled and wandered over to browse some games while Latula steeled herself. Mituna's head jerked up when the door opened.  
"Lat-tula! I'm tho thorry about everythink. Thing." He looked at her sadly, then held out the sweatshirt she'd loaned him, as well as her cell phone. "Your phone wath in the pocket. It kept buthing." She reached out and took them, giving her phone a glance to see she had several texts and a couple missed calls. The phone got stowed in her pocket as she turned her attention back to Mituna.  
"I'm sorry I yelled at you. It was completely unrad of me. I'd had a shitastic week and finding out parts of it were because of you.. Well I still shouldn't have yelled at you like that." Mituna grinned at her, and once more she was reminded of just how cute he was. She stared at him, chewing on her lip. "Hey listen, I'm off in like an hour. Do you want to meet up afterwards? I'm always wicked hungry after a morning shift." Mituna looked down at her, eyes wide beneath his messy hair. To be honest he looked a bit like a confused puppy. Then he smiled and his whole face lit up. Latula felt her cheeks heat as she smiled back.  
"I'll be back in an hour then," he said shyly, pushing his hair out of his eyes. Then sun came out from behind a cloud and hit the pair. Latula flinched a bit, squinting at the sudden brightness. Mituna's eyes moved over her hair, which had a habit of turning near scarlet in sunlight. His eyes met hers again and she noticed they were two different colors. The left was blue, nearly navy, and the right was umber, brown with a barely there hint of red.  
"Hey game girl, can I get some help in here?" Latula turned. Without them noticing several people had gone inside and were now milling about the shop. Dave's brows lifted above the rim of his shades. Latula turned, an apology on her lips, but Mituna grinned widely, displaying his braces again.  
"I'll thee you in an hour Latu-tula." Latula laughed and nodded, then spun around to go to Dave's aid. She missed Mituna giving Kurloz, who had perched himself on a curb a respectable distance away, an overly enthusiastic thumbs up.  
Somehow her completely unrad week was looking up.


End file.
